All-Star Game report: Castro may get chance to catch Rivera’s finale

American League manager Jim Leyland said whether or not there’s a save situation, retiring Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera will get into Tuesday night’s game, and that could be very interesting news for Astros catcher Jason Castro.

Castro and Royals catcher Salvador Perez are the two backups to Minnesota’s Joe Mauer. So whether Rivera pitches his usual ninth or an eighth inning for fear that the opposition wouldn’t have to bat in the bottom of the ninth, he will presumably be throwing to one of the two reserves.

“This being his last All-Star Game, it’s a great experience for me to be able to be here. And potentially being one of the people who could catch him, that would be an incredible experience,” Castro said. “He’s the best closer of all time.”

Castro said Monday that he had not yet been told how playing time would be distributed among the three AL catchers.

No Astro has been behind the plate in an All-Star Game since Craig Biggio caught two innings in 1991, which was his first of seven All-Star appearances and his last year as a catcher before he moved to second base.

Carpenter finds home at second

To find a place to play on the best team in baseball, you have to be willing to be a little flexible. Elkins High School alum Matt Carpenter was willing, and now he’s a first-time All-Star and not exactly just sneaking in.

The Galveston-born, Fort Bend-raised Carpenter has been one of the best offensive players in the National League regardless of position, and when you throw in the fact he moved to a premium defensive position at second base, his value is tremendous. He was selected to the team as a reserve second baseman after finishing the first half at .321, seventh in the NL, with a league-leading 28 doubles on by far the best offensive team in the NL.

He was groomed as a third baseman, both as an amateur and a minor leaguer, but played five positions in his first full season last year and a plurality of those games at first base. That’s fellow All-Star Allen Craig’s spot now, and third base has been David Freese’s, so the uncertainty of a spot was resolved with a move to second.

“It’s been a wild ride,” Carpenter said. “Coming into the season, I didn’t really know where I would stand. I had a position change moving over to second base and really didn’t know what the future would hold. But it’s worked out great.”

One could argue his whole baseball life has been a wild ride.

Carpenter had Tommy John surgery while at TCU and came into the draft as the rare fifth-year senior, becoming the even rarer fifth-year senior who has become anything in the majors. Jeff Luhnow and his Cardinals scouting staff made him a 13th-round pick in 2009, and St. Louis has been greatly rewarded.

A home start for Harvey

When Mets second-year ace Matt Harvey starts for the National League at Citi Field tonight, it will be the first time a pitcher will start an All-Star Game in his home stadium since then-Astro Roger Clemens started in 2004 at Minute Maid Park.

Harvey hopes this one goes a little better, as Clemens allowed six runs in one inning that night. Of course, he went on to win the Cy Young Award that year, so …

Private jet? No, a minivan

You could say Mark Melancon was driven to be an All-Star.

The Pirates reliever learned Saturday he was selected as an NL replacement after teammate Jeff Locke got hurt. Melancon took a decidedly non-chic route to Citi Field.

“I rented a minivan, and my wife and I and my parents drove,” he said Monday.

His parents flew to Pittsburgh from Colorado when they found out Melancon, who pitched for the Astros in 2010,-11, had earned the honor.

Melancon needed 14 tickets in all for family and friends — each player gets six for free under baseball’s labor contract and pays for the rest.

But while most All-Stars jet in, Melancon got to see Interstate 80 from the minivan along with his parents.

“My parents picked it up when they arrived at the airport when they flew in,” he said. “They got packed up, and they came to the game, and we took off from the stadium.”

His father drove, while Melancon and his wife were passengers along with their nearly 2-year-old daughter and Melancon’s mom.

The 380-mile drive takes about six hours, and they arrived in Manhattan about midnight.